


Ficlet: Where I never wanted to be

by scifishipper



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-13
Updated: 2012-07-13
Packaged: 2017-11-09 20:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifishipper/pseuds/scifishipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee attends Zak's surprise birthday celebration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ficlet: Where I never wanted to be

Lee watches Kara laughing, head thrown back, mouth wide as she lets out a squeal that fills the room. Her eyes are glittering and bright, pleased with the surprise party that caught Zak unawares. Zak's face is red, blushing, even his easy manner thrown by the surprise. Neither of them had pegged her for sentimental (or expected her to remember).

Kara nudges Zak as he cuts the cake, his face brimming with happiness and he turns to kiss her for the millionth time. Lee tries not to stare at their connected mouths, looks at the misshapen, homemade cake instead, the glint of knife, the blue icing that covers one of the buttons on Kara's sleeve. It's just another day. Nothing to see.

When they break apart again, Lee looks up, eyes skimming over Zak's face to catch Kara's eyes. He's impressed by the way she holds her smile, shields her eyes against his, keeps the arc of connection dampened. She looks away and Lee lets it go; Zak's thrilled and Lee needs to stop being a dick, smile pretty, and find a way to get the frak out of there before he screams.

A piece of cake is shoved at him and he takes it, grateful for something to jam into his mouth so he doesn't have to speak, praise Kara for her thoughtfulness, pretend that he's just as happy as Zak for her remembering.

The cake is sticky sweet with grainy bits that he doesn't want to identify. He'd never expected her to bake and as the chocolate mess slides down his throat, he wishes it would choke him, distract them all from this farce.

Lee steps back from the table, the pair of them, and finds a stool at the counter, gazing instead out the window onto the side of another building, gray bricks and a partial view of a darkening Delphi sky. Whatever, he tells himself. None of it matters.

Kara's deep chuckle behind him and another noise like kissing and Lee wolfs down the rest of the cake, dropping crumbs onto his khakis and shirt. A cold piece of icing sticks to his chin and he wipes it away with his wrist.

"Hey guys, I've got to go."

The sink faucet gives a steady stream of water that masks their outraged responses and he just talks over them. "Have a briefing in the morning. Oh five hundred. Sorry." He dries his hands on a towel of questionable cleanliness and sniffs his hands. Musty and dank. He suppresses a shudder and squares his shoulders, absently wiping dampness off the back of his hands onto his pants.

"Okay, bro. Thanks for coming." Zak approaches, even white teeth smiling as he pulls him into a brotherly embrace. A few claps on the back and Lee has done his duty, and he steps back, brushing imaginary cake off his shirt.

"Happy Birthday, Zak," he says absently and grabs his jacket off the edge of the worn sofa. He shrugs it on as Kara approaches, her smile faded. Zak gives a wave behind her before balancing the cake in one hand and two empty bottles of ambrosia in the other.

"See you later, Kara." Lee doesn't look at her, busies himself with finding his keys and stepping towards the stairs.

"Okay, Lee," she says, her overly loud voice echoing in the apartment, and follows him up to the door. It makes his skin prickle when she's close, imagining her breasts bouncing as she takes the steps with her usual energy. Stop, Lee. He can't get her out of his mind.

With a hand on the doorknob he turns, finds her breathless, too close, and she leans into him, sliding her arms around his waist. "Thanks for coming, Lee. It means the world to Zak." He's stiff in her embrace, patting her shoulder because anything more would make him crush her to his chest, blurt out every stupid thing he feels for her, beg her to leave his brother.

Instead, he steps back, unable to keep the discomfort off his face.

"Sorry," Kara says, face lined with worry. Their kiss, months prior, still lingers between them, a regret and a wish hung in midair, glittering and inviting with sharp edges that will cut them both.

"It's okay." Lee gives a wan smile and pulls at the door, yanking it open, the dank air of the hallway pressing against his face. "See you round."

He doesn't look back, can't, just strides down the hall, his breath and heart chattering in tandem. The door closes softly behind him.


End file.
